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you almost have to factor in the 90 - 94 era, the 93 - 97 era - and the 96 -99 era, and look at them separately in order to formulate a legit list. analyze those individual timelines from the decade, pick the cream of the crop from each period, and then compile the list and re-evaluate at the end. for example: from 91-94, ice cube was wrecking shit. from 95-99... not so much. but... the NWA, Death Certificate, Kill at Will, and even parts of Lethal Injection and Predator? that run right there? Plus the Boyz in the Hood and Friday movies??? based on how inventive and groundbreaking hiphop was during the early 90's, the more limited production technology... how 'young' rap/hiphop was... sound / style / cultural impact / critical acclaim / trend setting / and when it boils down to it: having some dope shit? That is a cold ass run right there... NWA, Death Certificate, Kill at Will, Lethal Injection , Predator and the Boyz in the Hood and Friday movies.... but folks forget about the beginning of the decade and the cultural impact and favor the mid to later years the most. is that correct logic? i dont know. Is Snoop's contribution on The Chronic and Doggystyle greater than Cube's? Without really thinking about all the factors, most folks would say yes. Sitting down and really taking a closer look? that's a tough one to call. Might not be a Snoop if Cube wasn't that dude.
Notorious Big is always over-rated. Was Biggie a better MC than Big L with the wordplay and straight rhymes?
that said, here is my list.
1. andre 3000. southernplayalistic / atLiens / aquemini. compLetely originaL, groundbreaking, trendsetting, Lyrical. without the gun talk and seLLing dope angLe (even Biggie and Nas came with that gun talk, selling dope shit. these days that shit ain't considered lyrical. but back then? well , just check the best of lists. but 3000 was never on that shit) .... in an era when everybody was either on the NewYorkCity boom bap nuts, or the WestCoastG Shit nuts, it was never cool or trendy to be from the south and get props. but andre 3000 came with that unique different original creative and was spitting in his own lane. Andre 3000 from outkast takes the crown.
2. nas. iLLmatic / it was written. iLLmatic goes without saying. even tho for some reason it was written caught a helluva lot of flack from certain circles, i thought that bitch was dope as fuck. for those 2 albums, nas gets #2 spot. Where Nas doesn't deserve the top spot is for that booty-ass, bullshit-ass 3rd album he dropped where he blatantly sold out, went for that all the way commercial bullshit, and sold the fuck out and switched his style up. that oochie wally bullshit? and all them duds on that 3rd album? can't be rated over andre 3000. where nas showed slight decline from the 1st to the 2nd album (to many folks, not sure i agree), he absolutely digressed from the 2nd to the 3rd album and fell the fuck off.
3. black thought. do u want more / illadelph. the most under rated, overlooked, and under-ranked of all time on these bullshit ass lists (if he ain't in the top 10, it's a bullshit ass list), Black Thought belongs in the top 10 MC/Rapper list in both the 90's as well as the 00's.
4. tupac. taking straight MC'ing out of the equation in the 'wordplay' sense of the definition (KRS never really MC'd with the straight up 'wordplay' like that either.. KRS was a spitter and kicked knowledge, but a straight forward rhymer never-the-less)... as a Rapper / performer / songwriter / cultural icon / and based on the sheer volume of his creative output before he passed at 25 yrs old, Pac was much wiser than his years. He influenced an entire generation of both youth and adults with his contributions to rap music and the 90's. Imagine if Tupac was still alive. Look at the level of his status at it's peak. Compare that status to the level of JayZ and Puffy during that same timeframe. Now look at the status and cultural level of JayZ and Puffy today in 2013. They are both 100millionares. During his time, Tupac had a much more significant cultural status. If Pac was still alive today, imagine..
5. ice cube. NWA / kill at will / death certificate / Boyz in the Hood movie / Friday movie / Lethal Injection. It Was A Good Day single. based on this list of contributions, it almost seems like ice cube should feasibly take the #2 spot ahead of nas...
6. guru . gang starr. definitive east coast aesthetic. guru was a straight forward rymer / story teller / knowledge dropper. step in the arena / daily operation / hard to earn / moment of truth / . that 4 album run right there? plus over premier production?
7. cee lo green. from his appearances on outkast's albums, to the goodie mob : Soul Food and Still Standing albums, not to mention one of the greatest guest features on a hiphop album all of time (Common's One Day It'll All Make Sense), cee lo green might belong in the top 3 mc / lyricists from the 90's when it boils down to it. Always deep , thought provoking , and poetic, Cee Lo is absolutely more lyrical and musically meaningful than Notorious B.I.G. as an MC. Cee Lo was so cold on the mic that Common never let Cee-Lo Green get another guest feature on any of his future projects as a Rapper. Lol. Common only let Cee Lo receive future features as a Singing Vocalist.
8. snoop. the chronic / doggystyle. based on cultural impact and significance, you will be hard pressed to find 2 albums that shifted / influenced / and impacted a culture more than The Chronic and the resulting anticipation that followed before snoop released the classic Doggystyle LP.
9. common. resurrection / one day it'll all make sense.
10. i can't fill this blank in because it's about a 10-way tie for the #10 spot. * * * * =========
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